"Watch me to-morrow!" whispered Franz cryptically to me as he strolled
lazily by....
Next day, around noon, I heard a big rumpus on the main deck, I hurried
up from the cabin.
There lay Franz, sprawled on his back like a huge, lazy dog, and the
mate was shaking his belly with his foot on top of it, just as one plays
with a dog ... but to show he was not playing, he delivered the
prostrate form of the sailor a swift succession of kicks in the ribs....
"You won't work any longer, you say?"
"No."
"I'll kick your guts out."
"Very well."
"Stand on your feet like a man."
"What for? You'll only knock me down again!" and Franz grinned comically
and grotesquely upward, through the gap in his mouth where two of his
teeth had been punched out earlier in the voyage.
It was easy to see that Franz's curious attitude of non-resistance had
the mate puzzled what to do next. All the sailors indulged in furtive
laughter. None of them had a very deep-rooted love for Miller, and, for
the first time, they rather sympathised with the man who had been
shanghaied ... some of them even snickered audibly ... and straightway
grew intent on their work....
Miller turned irritably on them. "And what's the matter with _you_!"...
"Bring him up here!" shouted Captain Schantze.
Four sailors picked Franz up and carried him, unresisting, bumping his
back on the steps as he sagged like a sack half full of flour.
Pages:
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134